A tiny principality in the Commonwealth of Letters

The FTC recently decreed that bloggers must disclose paid endorsements, or some such thing.

I don’t do paid endorsements. Period. I have, on occasion, received free copies of books for review, and sometimes I’ve reviewed them. Usually, I think, I’ve noted this in the review. Given the FTC’s position, though, it appears that I need to be clear about my own.

I will not write about a product or book simply because someone has paid me to do so.

If I am given a review copy of a book (and I’m turning most such requests down, these days) and I review it, I will note in the review that I didn’t pay for the book.

I will not write positive reviews in the hopes that the author/publisher/manufacturer will give me a kickback after the fact, and I will not accept one if they offer it.

In short, if there’s anything to disclose, I will disclose it. And if I make no disclosure, you can safely assume that there’s nothing to disclose.